CENTRAL VALLEY, Calif. (KFSN) — More veterans are getting off the streets and into permanent housing, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n
It takes a team to support our veterans who may be struggling.<\/p>\n
The department reports that it has found permanent housing for nearly 52,000 homeless veterans.<\/p>\n
In the Central Valley, 669 veterans were able to find permanent housing as of this week.<\/p>\n
Last year, 632 vets were able to find a place to live.<\/p>\n
Siobhan Edmonds is the Homeless Program Coordinator with the VA Central California Health Care System.<\/p>\n
“We have a program called HUD-VASH, which is a partnership with the VA and HUD in which we are able to provide Section 8 Housing to our veterans along with wrap-around services,” Edmonds says,<\/p>\n
According to the VA, this year, 334 veterans in Central California experienced homelessness for the first time. Last year, we saw 286 vets. In 2023, there were 259.<\/p>\n
In May, the Department launched its “Getting Veterans Off the Street” Initiative. It’s a dedicated effort to connect veterans with a range of resources, from housing to medical care.<\/p>\n
Edmonds explains that there are several reasons our nation’s heroes could end up without a place to live.<\/p>\n
“It can be mental health-related,” says Edmonds. “We see a lot of PTSD in our veterans experiencing homelessness, substance use.”<\/p>\n
These photos, shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs, show the outreach efforts from this month.<\/p>\n
“For our surge event last week, we had a target of eight that we were hoping to identify to place into shelter,” Edmonds says. “We were able to identify 11 who were unsheltered and on the streets that day and were able to get them into some sort of temporary housing.”<\/p>\n
So far this year, there have been two intense outreach campaigns, called surge counts, but Edmonds anticipates doing more of these efforts in the future.<\/p>\n
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